Newest Member of the Artfire Community

I have gone ahead and took the dive and joined Artfire.  I will be posting items over the next several days as well as on my website.  What better way to put yourself out there but to put yourself out there, lol.  I am still debating on Etsy and Zibbett and if I do, I will let you know.  Here is the link to my new shop on Artfire.  Come stop by and hope to see you there.

ArtFire Shop

Of things to come

I just placed several orders for supplies and fragrances.  I plan on doing more craft shows, festivals and any other venues where I can show and sell my products.  Right now I am planning on being at "Art on the Lake" in Guntersville, AL in April.  I am looking for more shows to be in so I plan on being busy and working hard and making some new items.  As I said before, I am having a drawing on my Facebook business page.  Here is the gift basket finally completed, wrapped and ready to go to the winner that will be announced on February 7th.  This basket is valued well over $50 so it will be worth everyone's wild to stop by, post a comment, question or opinion on my page in order to be included.  Hope to see you there.

All Occasion Cards

I also make greeting cards and thought that I would share some of the cards that I have made.

Luxury Bars and Coffee Glycerin Bar

Here are a few soaps that I made today.  Sage Leaf Type, Angelica and a Buttered Maple Coffee Mocha Bar.

Sage Leaf Type - Made with Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Avacado Oil, Canola Oil, Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter and Goat's Milk

Angelica - Made with Coconut Oil, Avacado Oil, Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter, Grapeseed Oil and Goat's Milk

Glycerin Bar with Olive Oil.  The top is fragranced with Buttered Mapel Oats, the middle has fresh coffe grounds, the bottom has coffee grounds and fragranced with Coffee Mocha

Gift Basket for Valentine's Day Drawing

Here is a picture of the gift basket that a am giving away on my FB page.  Facebook Business Page
Come on over and join us and post a comment to be included.  Hope to see you there.

Included in this basket is: Whipped body butter, facial clay mask, salt bar, glycerin bar of soap, two cold-processed soaps (his and hers), body wash, massage oi, sugar scrub, bath truffles, cupcake bath fizzie, candle, scrub glove, foot bath melts, sleep mask, foot pumice and brush, sparkling grape juice and champagne flutes.  I think that some lucky winner will be happy.

Sampler Village

I have been accepted to Sampler Village!  I am so excited, another way to put my products out there to individuals all over the US and Canada.  Thank you Traci for accepting me into your flock.  I look forward to participating and sending in my samples for you to distribute.  Check out all the companies that have joined:  http://www.samplervillage.com/

Work from the week

A rarity here in Alabama is snow and more rarer than that is more than a dusting.  We have had two snow falls in less than a month.  The first was on Christmas day and we got 2 inches, the second was on Sunday and we got 6 1/2 inches.  With all this snow, travel is almost impossible so the office was closed for three days and I put the free time to good use.  I have been getting a basket together for a drawing that I am having on Facebook and made a few items to go in it as well as add to my inventory.  Let's see what I made this week.  I made body wash, foot bath melts, massage oil, bath truffles, two batches of cupcake bath fizzies and two batches of soap.  Here are a few pics.

Mango Sorbet Bath Fizzy

Massage Oil

Valentine Salt Bar scented with P.S. I Love You Type

Packaged Bath Fizzy





Liquid Body Wash

Cherry Vanilla Bath Fizzies

As you can see I have been a busy beaver :).

Making Bath Truffles for Valentine Gift Basket

I thought that I would show you making Bath Truffels.  They are scented with Raspberry and Chocolate.

The finished product

Adding the Cocoa Butter and Shea Butter

Melted the Butters

Added the Baking Soda

Added the Citric Acid





Added the Corn Starch

Added the Butters, Fragrance and Color to the dry ingredients

Mix everything together

Place in molds and let set and then wrap and package

This will be added in the gift basket that I am having a drawing on Facebook for.  Just drop one or two in the bathtub for fizzing, moisturing experience. 





Snow in the Southeast

It is very rare that we get snow but in the past three weeks we have had a significant amount of snow.  We have about 6 inches and the drifts are a little higher.  No work today and no school.  Many people do not like the snow but I think that it is so beautiful.  We even had a thundersnow!  Never heard of such and was truly facinated by the effect.  Since We are snowed in, you all know what I am going to be doing!  Making some B&B products and some soap.  I will also be working on items to go in the Valentines Day Gift Basket for the give-away on Facebook.  Such a beautiful Day!

Things are Looking Up!

I was getting a little discouraged about lack of interaction on my FB page and it appears that things are looking up.  I will continue to keep a positive attitude and put my name out there.  Thank you to those of you who have joined my business page and is following me on my blog.

Insight

I enjoy making the items that I make and am always looking to see what new item I can make.  My family loves testing and using the products I make.  My question is how can I get others to try/purchase my items.  I have a facebook page and even when I offer a give-away, I can't even get people to respond.  I've asked what I could do to attract more interaction, draw customers to no avail.  I am open to suggestions as I have been discouraged in the hopes of being able to sell my items.  When I considered closing my website, my 14 year-old son told me that I couldn't.  He said that I was not a quitter and that I am doing what I love to do and to pray because he believed I was going to make it.  That was enough for me to forge ahead and keep a positive attitude and do more than I did last year to work at becoming a success. 

Valentine's Day Drawing on Facebook

I am holding a drawing on my Facebook business page Earthern Magic Essence.  Like my page and post a comment and one week before Valentine's Day I will hold a random drawing from all the comments posted between now and then.  It will be a large basket with lots of goodies in it with a romantic theme.  Post a comment about your favorite fragrance, what you would like to see me offer in the future or if you are a soap-maker, what items you make, your favorite item, best-selling item, etc.  I look forward to you joining my page and sharing the items that I make and sell.  I will post a pic of the basket when I have finished fixing it and will let you know everything that is in there.

Cut Pics

Here are pics of the the last batches that I made.  Very pleased with how they came out.  I'm a little worried about the last one, it is a salt bar and it appears that most of the salt settled down to bottom.  I scented it with Cranberry Fizz from Wholesale Supplie Plus.  The fragrance is very strong!

New Batch of the day

Here is a batch of Light Blue for Women Type that I made today.  It is the same recipe that I used for the Early Sunrise but I did not use whipping cream. 

My Second Batch of the Year

Here is the second batch that I made today.  Scented with Early Sunrise but the colors look more like a sunset.  This batch was made with lard, coconut oil, olive oil, canola oil and soybean oil.  I used whipping cream as part of my liquid and grounded hibiscus.  I did this one as an in the pot swirl and then swirled on top.

First Soap of the New Year

I have been doing a lot more research and found a tutorial by Lovinsoap.com.  I had always wanted to know how to make a soap with two colors side by side and she had a tutorial on how to do it.  So I got up this morning and decided that I was going to try.  Well.....I did and i am very happy with the results.  I scented with a fragrance from Wholesale Supplies called "Pink Panties"  I am going to have to rename it but love the scent.  Here is a look at my attempt after being poured.  I used Cococunt Oil, Canola Oil, Soybean, Avacado and Olive Oil for this recipe.  I made it at room temperature (first time for that as well).

Two-color soap with swirl